[laxx]

I have a Corda Aria and I'm wondering what the shelf life is. I tend to leave it on overnight and am a bit worried it shouldn't be on that long.

I turn it on around 8pm to start using and usually turn it off around 8am the next day. Should I be worried and turn it off before I sleep?

Does a non tube amp ever die?

 

[ATAT]

If its well designed and doesnt meet lots of vibrations, its operating life should be measured in decades.

 

[jamato8]

I have read different ideas on this. I have read that solder joints have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years due to oxidation and other interactions. I have seen solder joints that are 80 years old and they were still good but I could see oxidation. I think it depends upon what was used for flux and how good the joint was. The electrolytic caps will dry out over time and this can occur faster or slower depending upon how warm the invironment is. I have had caps loose it after 20 years. This is no big deal, just replace them. Resistors, the way they are made now should have a very long life. The older carbon resistors could take on moisture and drift over time. Transformers should do ok. I have a tube tester, one of the first from Hickok, from 1919 or early 1920's, I forget which, and it still works. Even that caps work but they were totally sealed. It has resistors, caps, a meter and transformer and other parts. For the best performance, caps will have to be replaced on audio equipment every 20 years or so. Oh it may still work fine but there will often be a sound quality issue that is not noticed unitl new caps are installed.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Some electronics are amazingly long-lived. My oldest radio is about 80, an old Atwater-Kent neutrodyne. It has some newer parts, but some of it has been working that long. As for unrestored radios, I've seen some from 1938-1941 or so work, unrestored. Also, I've seen some solid state over 25 working fine.

So if you treat your gear right, you'll get a lot of years from them. If you have tube gear, it could very well outlast you.

 

[laxx]

that's good to hear. it sits on my desk and doesn't move at all. now that i read this thread, i forgot to turn it off this morning before i left for work, lol. no vibrations at all, except i occasionally shake my leg (i know, bad habit) while i wait for load screens in games. =T

 

[kaushama]

I wonder I will never see the full natural life span of an amp due to UPGRADITIS bug hitting me frequently!!

 

[jamato8]

I doubt it. :^)

 

[laxx]

i've noticed a slit pop sound when i power the aria on and off. is there anythign i can do to prevent this?

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laxx i've noticed a slit pop sound when i power the aria on and off. is there anythign i can do to prevent this?

That's normal for a high-powered amp, nothing to worry about.

 

[granodemostasa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaushama I wonder I will never see the full natural life span of an amp due to UPGRADITIS bug hitting me frequently!!

yea... the average keep time for an amp before i sell it is 3 months. hopefullly the zd will last longer than that.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by granodemostasa yea... the average keep time for an amp before i sell it is 3 months. hopefullly the zd will last longer than that.

You know you want an upgrade

 

[laxx]

it's not so much of upgraditis for me as it is i want to hear everything. with my aria in my collection, i really want to try a tube amp. but before i do that, im' going to get antoehr set of phones that scale very well with upgrades in regards to gear. i don't think the 595's scale that well. they improve, but i don't think the improvement would be as large opposed to set of 600's or 650's or any cans of that caliber.

 

[$qwuzzy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder You know you want an upgrade

to what?!?

 

[PinkFloyd]

Will last for many decades but be aware that the capacitors will dry out over time so it's a good idea to recap your amp every 10 years or so. This is possible with good traditional designs but with some of these modern surface mount sealed units you're looking at "throwaway" rather than repair which is a shame, plus the lead free (ROHS) nature of some of these throwaway gadgets ensures you won't see more than a year or two of operation before it fails.... built in obsolescence with a new name "environmentally friendly".... fortunately the Meier amp is 100% serviceable so should last for many many years.